Come, Follow Me: Book of Mormon

What Was Jerusalem Like in Lehi’s Time?

January 6–12 1 Nephi 1–7

Photograph of Jerusalem

Images from Getty Images

The capital city of the kingdom of Judah, filled with political intrigue and wickedness. The past decade has been especially calamitous. Judah’s kings were killed or captured; Jews were marched off to Babylon; prophets, such as Jeremiah, were threatened and imprisoned. It’s no wonder the Lord told Lehi to flee (see 1 Nephi 2:1–2).

• Population: 25,000 (big by ancient standards)

• Terrain: desert, fertile valleys, sloping hills

• Currency: money by weight (silver, copper, gold; no coins)

• Language: Hebrew

• Workforce: craftsmen, merchants, slaves (considered members of the family); most also farm

• Food: fruit, bread, olives, figs, stew

• Clothing: coarse wool, sandals; white robes for priests

• Religion: corrupt,idolatrous; false prophets proclaim peace; a trumpeting ram’s horn announces daily prayer

• Social structure: patriarchal, including elders of the city, chiefs of the families, and the excellent, or “men of good birth”

• Families: households consist of multiple homes surrounding a courtyard, led by the father. Includes sons’ families, unmarried daughters and aunts, and aging relatives.

• Military: none at present. Any soldiers are Babylonians, to whom Judah pays tribute.

Much of the information for this description of Jerusalem comes from the following sources: Keith H. Meservy, “Jerusalem at the Time of Lehi and Jeremiah,” Ensign, Jan. 1988, 22–25; John W. Welch, Robert D. Hunt, “Culturegram: Jerusalem 600 BC,” in Jo Ann H. Seely, David Rolph Seely, John W. Welch, Glimpses of Lehi’s Jerusalem (2004).